Combined pad and partition for containers

ABSTRACT

A sheet of paperboard is cut and creased to provide a center section and a pair of side sections which are intersected by a plurality of lines of fold dividing the sheet into center panels and side panels. Pairs of center panels are folded up into face contact to form central dividers. Opposed side panels are folded into face contact to provide side dividers extending outwardly from the upwardly folded remaining side panels.

United States Patent Rohde et al.

[451 Aug. 8, 1972 COMBINED PAD AND PARTITION FOR CONTAINERS Inventors: John J. Rohde, Salisbury; Jack B.

Robinson, Lexington, both of NC.

Assignee: Hoemer Waldorf Corporation,

Ramsey County, Minn.

Filed: May 26, 1970 Appl. No.: 40,615

US. Cl. ..229/15, 229/28 R Int. Cl. ..B65d l/36 Field of Search ..229/15, 28 R, 42

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1933 Casey ..229/42 Bergstein ..229/28 R 2,475,107 7/1949 Newsom ..229/ l 5 3,260,440 7/ l 966 Foley ..229/ 1 5 3,301,460 l/ 1967 Harrison ..229/15 3,384,289 5/ 1968 Grant ..229/ l 5 Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. 7 Assistant Examiner-John J. Love Attorney-Robert M. Dunning [57] ABSTRACT A sheet of paperboard is cut and creased to provide a center section and a pair of side sections which are intersected by a plurality of lines of fold dividing the sheet into center panels and side panels. Pairs of center panels are folded up into face contact to form central dividers. Opposed side panels are folded into face contact to provide side dividers extending outwardly from the upwardly folded remaining side panels.

6 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures COMBINED PAD AND PARTITION FOR CONTAINERS This invention relates to an improvement in partition member and deals particularly with a single blank which may be used to divide a container into units which are a multiple of three. For example, in the arrangement illustrated, the partition unit is designed to form twelve separate compartments. However, the unit may be extended if desired to provide a greater or lesser number of cells.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Breakable receptacles such as bottles are usually contained in rectangular containers which are divided into cells by means of intersecting partition units. For example, in a container designed to contain twelve bottles, the partition units are usually formed by two parallel longitudinally extending divider elements which are intersected by three partition forming members. The partition forming members are usually slotted in such a manner as to fit together and to provide walls separating the bottles one from another. While such devices have been used successfully for a great number of years it is necessary to interconnect the various partition members in order to produce the cell structure. Furthermore, the dividers are normally formed of a single thickness of paperboard which may not, in some cases, be adequate to protect the bottles during shipment and handling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a single blank of paperboard or similar material which is of generally rectangular form, and which is cut and creased to fold into a divider for use in a paperboard container or the like, and which may serve to provide a series of uniformly sized cells for containing bottles and the like. The divider sheet includes three sections including a longitudinally extending central section and two outer sections hingedly connected to the center section. The center section is designed to fold to provide a series of central bottle cells. The outer two sections are' foldable to provide double thickness walls designed to separate outer rows of bottles. Thus, the single sheet of material is designed to form a series of cells which are in multiples of three, and all of the walls between longitudinally spaced bottles are of a double thickness.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a partition pad having a central section in which the divider walls are folded in one direction from the pad, and a series of outer cells in which the pad is folded in the opposite direction. The outer sections are folded into right angular relation with the central section, and the partition walls fold outwardly toward the side walls of the container. The intermediate walls of the central section fold upwardly from the bottom to form double thickness divider walls between the longitudinally spaced bottles or other members in the container.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS ness for use. I

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container with the partition member in partially inserted position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the partition forming member in partially folded position.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the partition forming member is formed.

DESCRIPTION or THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION gated paperboard.

The blank of material indicated in the drawing is designed to provide a divider having twelve cells. The blank includes a pair of parallel spaced fold lines 10 and 11 which are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the bottles or other objects being packaged. The length of the pad A is divided by a series of parallel fold lines 12, the fold lines 12 extending from the longitudinal edges 13 of the pad to the fold lines 10 and 11, and the fold lines 12 being connected by perforated lines 14. Midway between the outermost fold lines 12 and the end edges 15 of the rectangular pad are perforated lines 16 which extend from the outer edges 13 of the pad to the fold lines 10 and 11. The opposedperforated lines 16 are connected by fold lines 17.

Between the fold lines 12 are provided a pair of perforated lines 19 which divide the space between the fold lines 12 into three equal areas. The inner ends of the perforated lines 19 are connected by fold lines 20 which are between the longitudinally extending fold lines 10 and 11.

While the various lines of fold have been defined as fold lines or perforated lines, it should be understood that the main purpose of the perforated lines is to permit a reverse folding of the paperboard. In other words, when fold lines are provided in paperboard, the paperboard normally folds in one direction more readily than in the other. The purpose of the perforated lines is to permit the reverse folding of the paperboard, or to permit the paperboard to fold in a direction which would normally be resistent to folding.

In order to complete the folding operation, the fold lines 10 and 11 are interrupted by cut lines 21, these cut lines extending from the outermost perforated lines 16 to the next adjoining perforated line 19, and extending from the innermost perforated line 19 to the opposite innermost perforated line 19. These cut lines are designed to permit the central portion of the pad to fold in one direction while the outer portions of the pad outwardly of the fold lines 10 and 11 may fold in the opposite direction.

When the partition pad is folded, the walls 22, 23, 24 and 25 on each side of the center section remain in a common plane. The partition walls 26 and 27 fold into face contact, as do also the wall panels 29 and 30, and the wall panels 31 and 32. These wall panels such as 26 and 27 fold in one direction from the plane of the pad,

as indicated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. At the same time, the panels 33, 34, 35 and 36 form bottom panels for the intermediate section of the pad, while the panels 37 and 39, 40 and 41, 42 and 43, fold into face contact with one another to form vertical partition members. This is believed clearly indicated in FIG. 3 of the drawings. Once the pad has been completely folded, the side panels are folded along the fold lines and 1 1 into erect position as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and the partition unit is complete.

It will be noted that the intermediate cells which are formed by the panels 37 and 39, 40 and 41, 42 and 43, are aligned with the laterally extending partition walls when the partition unit is completed. Thus, the partition pad forms a series of cells designed to spearate bottles or similar containers. The partition pad is normally inserted into a rectangular container B. This container may or may not be provided with closure flaps 44 which may be closed during shipment and storage.

We claim:

l. A partition member including:

a substantially rectangular sheet cut and creased along a pair of lines parallel to two opposed sheet edges to divide the sheet into a center section and two opposed side sections,

a series of fold lines intersecting said pair of lines and parallel to the remaining opposed sheet edges, dividing said sheet into a series of foldably connected center panels and two series of foldably connected side panels,

fold lines connecting each third center panel with each third adjoining side panels and cut lines separating the intermediate two center panels from the adjoining intermediate side panels, said last named fold lines and cut lines forming said pair of lines,

the side panels connected to said third center panels extending upwardly in generally parallel relation from said third center panels,

said intermediate two center panels extending upwardly from said third center panels in substantial face contact and said intermediate side panels extending outwardly from said third side wall panels.

2. The structure of claim 1, and in which the fold lines extending across said sheet are equally spaced;

3. The structure of claim 1, and in which the end fold lines of said series are spaced from the edges of said sheet to which they are parallel a distance substantially equal to the distance between said fold lines.

4. The structure of claim 1, and in which the center panels between the parallel fold lines and the edges of the sheet to which they are parallel form two of said third center panels.

5. A partition member including:

a substantially rectangular sheet, cut and creased along a pair of parallel lines parallel to two opposed sheet edges to provide a center section and opposed side sections,

three fold lines intersecting said pair of lines and parallel to the remaining two opposed sheet edges, dividing the sheet into foldably connected center panels and foldable connected side panels the pair of lines being cut between the first and third fold lines to permit the individual folding of the center panels and of the side panels on either side th e e a diiiii i i l dld li nes intersecting said pair of lines and dividing the sheet into additional center panels and side panels, the pair of lines being cut between the first and third fold lines of said second pair to permit the individual folding of the center panels and side panels on either side of the second fold line of said three additional fold lines.

6. The structure of claim 5, and in which said fold lines are substantially equally spaced. 

1. A partition member including: a substantially rectangular sheet cut and creased along a pair of lines parallel to two opposed sheet edges to divide the sheet into a center section and two opposed side sections, a series of fold lines intersecting said pair of lines and parallel to the remaining opposed sheet edges, dividing said sheet into a series of foldably connected center panels and two series of foldably connected side panels, fold lines connecting each third center panel with each third adjoining side panels and cut lines separating the intermediate two center panels from the adjoining intermediate side panels, said last named fold lines and cut lines forming said pair of lines, the side panels connected to said third center panels extending upwardly in generally parallel relation from said third center panels, said intermediate two center panels extending upwardly from said third center panels in substantial face contact and said intermediate side panels extending outwardly from said third side wall panels.
 2. The structure of claim 1, and in which the fold lines extending across said sheet are equally spaced.
 3. The structure of claim 1, and in which the end fold lines of said series are spaced from the edges of said sheet to which they are parallel a distance substantially equal to the distance between said fold lines.
 4. The structure of claim 1, and in which the center panels between the parallel fold lines and the edges of the sheet to which they are parallel form two of said third center panels.
 5. A partition member including: a substantially rectangular sheet, cut and creased along a pair of parallel lines parallel to two opposed sheet edges to provide a center section and opposed side sections, three fold lines intersecting said pair of lines and parallel to the remaining two opposed sheet edges, dividing the sheet into foldably connected center panels and foldable connected side panels the pair of lines being cut between the first and third fold lines to permit the individual folding of the center panels and of the side panels on either side of the second fold line. three additional fold lines intersecting said pair of lines and dividing the sheet into additional center panels and side panels, the pair of lines being cut between the first and third fold lines of said second pair to permit the individual folding of the center panels and side panels on either side of the second fold line of said three additional fold lines.
 6. The structure of claim 5, and in which said fold lines are substantially equally spaced. 